Thursday, March 18, 2010

Designing a room for Dr. Caligari - Process

The classic film Noir "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" is a stunning visual piece of impressionist/expressionist/surrealist cinema with a strong evocation of feelings and moods as represented in the sets.

The locations spatially map the memory and imagination cognitions of a mad-man. It would seem that the relationship is such that when madness takes hold, memory and learned associations become distorted - giving way to imagination and sub-conscious non-logic.

Basically this doesn't have to mean squat to you, but what you should be able to get is a sense that the mind is a complex thing with many interacting components and layers, and that the spaces portrayed in this movie are riddled with the kind of imaginative non-logic and distorted monotony which is perhaps what being a designer is all about. We have to tap into the insane areas of the brain to get the edge in such a competitive business.